Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile

Surprise, surprise: Android beats iPhone 2-to-1, says Nielsen

Andrew Couts
By
android-iphone-ad-share-millenial-media
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Once again, Android has thoroughly stomped the competition, according to a survey of US smartphone users by Nielsen. As of August, 43 percent of all smartphone owners in the US use a device that runs Google’s mobile operating system. And of those who purchased a smartphone in the past three months, a full 56 percent chose and Android device over everything else.

Apple’s iPhone line remains solidly in second place, with 28 percent of the US smartphone market. The same number purchased an iPhone in the past three months. But Nielsen expects the number of new smartphone buyers to jump toward Apple in the coming months, as the company is expected to unveil its newest handset, the iPhone 5.

nielsen-android-smartphone-iphone
Image used with permission by copyright holder

BlackBerry remains the third most popular line of device, with 18 percent market share. But only 9 percent of new smartphone buyers went with BlackBerry. Devices running all other operating systems only account for 11 percent of the US market, and a mere 6 percent purchased something other than a BlackBerry, iPhone or Android handset in the past three months.

Recommended Videos

As predictable as Android’s current upward swing may be, it’s still impressive. What would be far more impressive, however, is if the iPhone were still ahead of Android. Right now, there are only four models of iPhone available, and only two of them (3G S and 4) are regularly available from carriers. Compare that to the countless number of Android devices, available at all price points, and it’s obvious that this isn’t a fair fight.

Related

It’s because of this unbalance that the rumors of a second, less-expensive iPhone release this year ring true – and are looking ever more likely by the day. Apple has the top-end market under control. But its handsets remain too expensive for many. If Apple does release a cheap iPhone model this year – especially if the device is unlocked – then we could see significant upward movement from Apple’s corner.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Andrew Couts
Andrew Couts
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
iPhone SE 4: news, rumored price, release date, and more
The Apple iPhone SE (2022) and Apple iPhone SE (2020) together.

While the spotlight always seems to be on Apple’s mainline iPhones, the iPhone SE is a great pick for those who are on a budget. If you want an iPhone that doesn't break the bank, the SE is the way to go.

The original iPhone SE came out in 2016, and then Apple revamped it in 2020 and 2022 by giving it some more modern hardware. The iPhone SE tends to get updated every two or so years rather than annually like the traditional iPhone. This means  that we should see a new iPhone SE 4 this year, but it’s not so cut-and-dried with this particular model.

Read more
3 reasons why I’ll actually use Anker’s new iPhone power bank
A person holding the Anker MagGo Power Bank.

Power banks are a necessary evil, and even if you don’t consider yourself a “power user” who's likely to drain a phone’s battery in less than a day, there will be times when one comes in handy. And when I am forced to carry one, I want it to be as helpful and versatile as possible.

I’ve been trying Anker’s MagGo Power Bank 10K -- meaning it has a 10,000mAh cell inside it -- and there are three reasons why I'm OK with it taking up valuable space in my bag.
It has a screen on it

Read more
Here’s how Apple could change your iPhone forever
An iPhone 15 Pro Max laying on its back, showing its home screen.

Over the past few months, Apple has released a steady stream of research papers detailing its work with generative AI. So far, Apple has been tight-lipped about what exactly is cooking in its research labs, while rumors circulate that Apple is in talks with Google to license its Gemini AI for iPhones.

But there have been a couple of teasers of what we can expect. In February, an Apple research paper detailed an open-source model called MLLM-Guided Image Editing (MGIE) that is capable of media editing using natural language instructions from users. Now, another research paper on Ferret UI has sent the AI community into a frenzy.

Read more